Category: Latest Rams news

Rams, Matthew Stafford have ‘had good dialogue’ about QB’s contract situation

The Rams have had some “good dialogue” with Matthew Stafford about his contract as he seeks more guaranteed money, but his status for OTAs is TBD

Out of nowhere on Thursday night during the NFL draft, Ian Rapoport shared some unexpected news about Matthew Stafford and his contract. He said on NFL Network that Stafford wants his contract adjusted to include more guaranteed money beyond the 2024 season, which is the last year of his deal with any guaranteed salary.

Stafford just signed an extension after the Rams’ Super Bowl win in February 2022, but he seemed to take a discount at the time and would now like more assurances financially as he looks to continue playing for a few more years.

On Friday night after the Rams wrapped up Day 2 of the draft, Sean McVay and Les Snead were asked about Stafford’s contract situation and their answers were brief.

“I’ve had good dialogue with Matthew,” McVay said. “We’ll keep those things in-house but he’s been working with our guys.”

Will he be at OTAs in May?

“He’s been working with our guys the last couple of weeks so that’s kind of where we’re at with that,” McVay said, sidestepping the question.

Snead was then asked if he’s encouraged the team and Stafford will come to a resolution, to which he said this: “We’re definitely jacked to have Matthew as our QB.”

McVay was asked again about Stafford’s status for OTAs, and while he did share a bit more about the ongoing conversations, he isn’t sure the veteran quarterback will be in attendance for OTAs, which are completely voluntary.

He and the Rams just want to make sure the team shows Stafford he’s appreciated and how much they want him to be the quarterback moving forward.

“We’re going to take it a day at a time. We’ll see,” McVay said. “So we’re going to try to figure it out. There’s nothing that’s more important than making sure that he feels appreciated and he knows how much we love him and want him to lead the way. I think that commitment that I think he wants to have can be reciprocated and we want to work towards figuring that out.”

The Rams’ offseason program has already begun, but things ramp up in May with on-field practices and again in June with mandatory minicamp. There have been no indications that Stafford is planning any sort of holdout, so hopefully this situation gets resolved relatively quickly.

Watch 25 minutes of Blake Corum highlights from his decorated career at Michigan

New Rams running back Blake Corum was as productive as any player in college, and his highlight reel is filled with eye-popping plays

The Los Angeles Rams already had one highly productive running back in the backfield, but they added another in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft. At No. 83 overall, the Rams selected Michigan’s Blake Corum, pairing him with Kyren Williams as their new 1-2 punch at running back.

Corum is one of the best backs in Michigan history, rushing for 3,737 yards and 58 touchdowns in four seasons, adding another 411 yards receiving with three touchdowns. Last season alone, he scored 28 total touchdowns during Michigan’s championship run after scoring 19 in just 12 games the year prior.

Though he might be small at just 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds, Corum is difficult to get on the ground and as shifty as any back in the 2024 class. His highlight reel with the Wolverines is chock full of eye-popping plays, whether it’s a sudden cut or a burst of speed through the hole for a big gain.

Thanks to the Big Ten Network, there’s a 25-minute highlight package from Corum’s decorated career at Michigan, which you can watch below.

Kamren Kinchens is in company of Sean Taylor, Ed Reed with 11 career INTs

Kamren Kinchens is one of three Miami players with 10+ interceptions in the last 25 years. The other two are Ed Reed and Sean Taylor.

Given the lack of proven talent on defense, the Los Angeles Rams seemed to exceed expectations on that side of the ball in 2023. If there’s one thing they lacked, though, it was turnovers. The Rams ranked 30th in takeaways and 23rd in interceptions, picking off just 10 passes in the regular season.

That’s fewer than new safety Kamren Kinchens had in his last two seasons at Miami alone. Kinchens, who the Rams drafted 99th overall on Friday night, is a certified ballhawk. He picked off 11 passes in the last two years, the only player in college football with at least 10 interceptions since 2022, according to Dane Brugler’s draft guide for The Athletic.

He had six interceptions and 12 passes defensed in 2022 before adding five interceptions and 10 passes defensed last season. It’s rare for a player to create so many turnovers in a two-year span, and this stat puts it into perspective.

According to Brugler, Kinchens is one of three Miami defenders with at least 10 interceptions in the last 25 years. The other two? Sean Taylor and Ed Reed. Talk about elite company.

That’s the sort of playmaking ability Kinchens brings to the Rams defense as a rookie, potentially taking over as a starter from Day 1 next to another Kamren, Kamren Curl.

Instant analysis: New Rams RB Blake Corum will elevate the offense

After the departure of Royce Freeman, the Rams had a hole in their running back room behind Kyren Williams. Blake Corum will fix that.

For those who have followed my work here at Rams Wire from the beginning, something that I spoke about was the Rams’ inability to run the ball on first and second down. That inability resulted in an awful start to the 2023 season.

Well, Kyren Williams turned that narrative on its head with an MVP-level performance to close out the second half of the season, sending Los Angeles to the playoffs. On Friday, the Rams gave Williams the 1-2 punch that championship teams are made out of by drafting Michigan running back Blake Corum at No. 83 overall.

Arguably the greatest running back to play for the University of Michigan, Corum is a fierce, downhill runner who helped send the Wolverines to three college football playoff appearances and was a major factor in Michigan’s 2024 national championship victory.

Corum displays a consistent ability to get quality yards with every carry, allowing Michigan to operate a run-first offense that constantly put them in second-and-medium and third-and-short situations.

A true bellcow, Corum singlehandedly took over games in 2023, being one of the main factors that lifted the Wolverines to victory over historic rivals Penn State and Ohio State. Now he will have the privilege of being used as needed to help the Rams sustain offensive drives.

Keep in mind that upon the return of Williams, Matthew Stafford’s passing numbers went through the roof. With the addition of Corum, neither he nor Williams will have to carry the load for the team, allowing both to be fresh in games and throughout the year.

Another stellar pick by the organization.

Rams select Miami S Kamren Kinchens with 99th overall pick

The Rams added another playmaker to their secondary, selecting Miami safety Kamren Kinchens at No. 99 overall

With the second-to-last pick in Round 3, the Los Angeles Rams ended the night with an addition to their revamped secondary. At No. 99 overall, the Rams selected Miami safety Kamren Kinchens.

Kinchens will get a chance to start right away next to Kamren Curl, the team’s free-agent addition at safety this offseason. He was a ball hawk at Miami, picking off 11 passes in the last two seasons alone. He didn’t test well at the combine, running a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, but he plays faster than his timed speed.

In each of the last two seasons, he made 59 tackles and had four total tackles for a loss since 2022. At 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, he has good size and can be an impactful player in the run game.

If Kinchens wins the starting job, the Rams will have two new safeties atop the depth chart in 2024 after Jordan Fuller and John Johnson III were their primary starters last season.

Rams select Michigan RB Blake Corum with 83rd pick

The Rams added to their already-strong backfield by drafting Blake Corum out of Michigan in Round 3

Kyren Williams established himself as a bellcow running back last season, leading the NFL in rushing yards per game, but the Los Angeles Rams were insistent on adding some help to the backfield this offseason. With the 83rd overall pick in Round 3, the Rams selected Michigan running back Blake Corum.

Corum is an undersized running back at 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds, but he runs bigger than his listed size. He scored 27 rushing touchdowns and caught one touchdown pass last season alone for the national champion Michigan Wolverines, putting up huge numbers in each of the last two years.

He’ll need to carve out a role for himself in the backfield after seeing how productive Williams was in a workhorse role.

In his career at Michigan, he carried it 675 times for 3,737 yards and scored 61 total touchdowns in four seasons. He doesn’t have elite speed or athleticism, but he’s shifty and runs hard, which allow him to pick up consistent chunks of yardage.

Instant analysis: Despite trade cost, Rams hit a home run with Braden Fiske

Despite some concerns over the value, the Rams make another excellent selection, plucking another talent from Florida State with Braden Fiske

It should come as no surprise that the Los Angeles Rams selected a Florida State defensive lineman in Round 2 considering that’s exactly what they did on Thursday night. A second-round selection came sooner than expected via a controversial trade with the Panthers.

The Rams traded Picks 52, 155, and a 2025 second-rounder for Braden Fiske, causing some to freak out over the “fleece” by the Carolina Panthers, the original owner of the 39th overall pick.

They reference the trade value chart as the basis for their reasoning but here’s the truth: The value chart doesn’t matter if the player is a stud and that’s exactly what the Rams got in Fiske.

After a dominant career at Western Michigan, he transferred to Florida State where Fiske and Rams first-round pick Jared Verse helped anchor a defensive line that was devastating.

Fiske shot up draft boards after a phenomenal combine, placing first in his position group for the 40-yard dash, broad jump, and vertical jump. He also tied for first in the 20-yard shuttle.

Fiske gets off blocks well, has a nice “push-pull” pass rush move, and has a tremendous motor. He will help open things up for his interior defensive line partner Kobie Turner. Pairing a player with Fiske’s talents alongside Turner, Byron Young, and his collegiate teammate, Verse, gives the Rams one of the youngest and brightest defensive lines in the NFL.

Fiske won’t replace Aaron Donald. At least not immediately, but the Rams will need to replace Donald’s production in the aggregate. Verse and Fiske will be more than enough to do that.

It is an excellent pick and considering that the Rams still have a vast amount of Day 3 picks, this is a home run selection.

 

Watch highlights of Braden Fiske, the Rams’ new defensive lineman

Braden Fiske is a high-motor defender who never gives up on a play and consistently works his way into the backfield

The Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line lost a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Donald this offseason after he retired from the NFL, so the front office had to begin rebuilding along the defensive front. They did so early in the draft by selecting Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske with the 39th overall pick, a selection that was made after trading up from No. 52.

The Rams obviously loved Fiske’s game and didn’t want to let him get away, moving up 13 spots to ensure he would wear blue and yellow. Fiske was a teammate of Verse at Florida State and the two of them wreaked havoc up front for the Seminoles.

Fiske had six sacks last season to go with nine tackles for a loss, helping Florida State go undefeated in the regular season. When you flip on the tape, you see a relentless defender who never gives up on a play and is always working to get off his blocks, which leads to impactful plays.

Take a look at his highlight reel from 2023, his only season at FSU.

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske are thrilled to be teammates again: ‘It’s unbelievable’

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske were teammates at FSU and will remain on the same team with the Rams. They couldn’t be more excited.

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske both went into the draft as projected top-50 picks, but they probably didn’t expect the same team to draft both of them. The two Florida State defenders had a big impact for the Seminoles and they’ll try to continue that as members of the Los Angeles Rams.

After the Rams drafted Jared verse with the 19th overall pick, they came back on Day 2 and selected Fiske at No. 39 overall following a trade up from the 52nd pick. Coincidentally, Verse had just gotten to the Rams’ draft headquarters when the selection of Fiske happened.

Needless to say, he was thrilled to learn his former FSU teammate was joining him in Southern California as the newest member of the Rams.

Verse then went on Twitter and shared his excitement with his followers, posting a photo of himself and Fiske in their FSU uniforms.

Fiske was equally pumped about the chance to remain teammates with Verse. He called it “unbelievable and “a blessing,” mentioning how he and Verse talked about the possibility of playing together in the NFL.

Now they’ll get that chance.

The Rams always look for diligent workers and players who love football, which both Verse and Fiske do. Fiske told reporters that he and Verse would be watching film late at night together, pushing each other to be better and better.

Fiske quickly learned after arriving at FSU in 2023 that he wanted to stay around Verse for his work ethic.

Trade value chart says Rams got fleeced in deal with Panthers for Braden Fiske

According to the trade value chart, the Rams were on the losing end of their deal with the Panthers to draft Braden Fiske

Trades during the NFL draft are never perfectly even for both teams, but it seems the Los Angeles Rams were squarely on the losing end of their deal with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

The Rams traded up from No. 52 to 39, giving up the 155th overall pick and a 2025 second-rounder to get the deal over the finish line. The Rams used the 39th selection to take Braden Fiske out of Florida State, a player they clearly coveted given how much they traded to get him.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap laid out the point value of the trade based on the value chart, and the Rams apparently got fleeced. Their picks were worth 2,334 points, while the 39th pick was only worth 1,143 points.

It won’t matter much if Fiske pans out and becomes a productive player for the Rams, but that was a lot given up by Los Angeles to draft the former Seminole defensive tackle.

The hope is that the Rams win a bunch of games next season and have a later pick anyway, driving down the value of the 2025 second-rounder they gave up.